The Apple Dumpling Days is an annual festival, held the first Saturday after Labor Day, sponsored by the city of Elroy, Wisconsin. As part of the festivities, the Elroy Lions Club hosts the Elroy Apple Dumpling Day Races. The first races were held in 2007 with a 5K “Apple Dumpling Dash” and a single kid’s race. In 2008 a half marathon “Sliced Apple” was added and in 2013 a full marathon “Big Apple” was added. The 5K, half marathon and full marathon are all USATF certified.

Elroy is the center of three abandoned railroad beds that have been converted into bike trails—Juneau County Omaha Trail, the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail and the 400 State Trail. These trails are ideal for the Apple Dumpling Day Races.

The 2014 Apple Dumpling Day Races were held Saturday, September 6. Amil’s Inn was privileged to have two guests that were Big Apple participants and two guests that were Sliced Apple participants. Also the Innkeeper and his son were Sliced Apple participants. For more information, visit the Apple Dumpling Day Races at www.appledumplingdayraces which was the source of this information.

Amil’s Inn also had some special treats for the participants. Organic Valley of La Farge, Wisconsin donated some of their Organic Fuel for the racers. Organic Fuel is a nutritionally balanced, organic milk protein recovery shake. The shake is designed to benefit both endurance and strength athletes. Organic Fuel has an optimal mix of protein, carbohydrates and fats which help an athlete’s body restore glycogen levels while building and repairing muscle. All which help one’s body recover faster and feel less sore the next day. For more information about Organic Fuel and other Organic Valley products visit www.organicvalley.coop which was the source for the information about Organic Fuel.

]]>http://amilsinn.com/2014/11/30/organic-fuel-for-apple-dumpling-day-racers/feed/0Cranberry Adventure from Amil’s Innhttp://amilsinn.com/2014/09/30/cranberry-adventure-from-amils-inn/
http://amilsinn.com/2014/09/30/cranberry-adventure-from-amils-inn/#commentsTue, 30 Sep 2014 21:31:04 +0000http://amilsinn.com/?p=628This past weekend Amil’s Inn was blessed to have a house full of guests that enjoyed the 42nd Warrens Cranberry Festival. One of the highlights for one our guests, Paula, was to be able to join the Innkeeper on a trip to the Wetherby Cranberry Marsh near

Special cranberry treats are always available to our guests during the Warrens Cranberry Festival weekend. The most requested treat was the Cranberry Bars which came to us from the Warrens Area Cranberry Growers. Every couple requested a copy of the recipe to take home. We thought we would share it with you.

Cranberry Bars

2 eggs, well beaten ½ tsp. salt

1 ½ c. sugar 2 c. whole cranberries

½ c. margarine 1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ c. flour ½ c. nuts

1 T. brown sugar ½ tsp. baking powder

Mix eggs, sugar and margarine. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. The batter will be stiff. Spread in a 9 X 13-inch pan which has been oiled and floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool.

Nan and Bill of El Paso, Illinois getting ready to experience the beauty of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail.

In spite of a few showers from time to time, the weather has been some of the best for bikers who want to experience the Elroy-Sparta State Trail.

The trail spans 32 miles between the towns of Elroy and Sparta on the abandoned Chicago & North Western Railroad bed. Traveling from Elroy to Sparta will bring you through the towns of Kendall, which is the trail headquarters of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail; Wilton, which is the heart of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail and Norwalk. Along the way you will observe wetlands, prairies, farms and un-glaciated areas since the trail is located in the northern Driftless Area of Wisconsin.

The highlights of the trail are the three rock tunnels. Two of the tunnels are approximately ¼ mile long. These two tunnels are located between Kendall/Wilton and Wilton/Norwalk. The tunnel located between Norwalk and Sparta is ¾ of a mile long.

For those biking enthusiasts that want to experience more of the area, there is an additional 68 miles of connected trails to the Elroy-Sparta State Trail. The “400” State Trail is a 22 mile trail located between the cities of Elroy and Reedsburg, Wisconsin. The La Crosse River State Trail is a 22 mile trail between the cities of Onalaska and Sparta, Wisconsin. The Great River State Trial is a 24 mile trail between Marshland and Onalaska, Wisconsin.

This past weekend Amil’s Inn was blessed to have 5 ladies from Crystal Lake, Illinois spend an evening. They came to the Wilton area to experience the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail and experience the beauty this part of Wisconsin has to offer. With the abundance of moisture and warm temperatures they were not disappointed.

The 5 ladies are neighbors and co-workers. Their friendship and delightful attitude is contagious! The friendship began 5 years ago when they participated in and completed a triathlon. Since that time they have become best of friends and plan numerous ‘girls away’ weekends to nurture their friendship.

Amil’ Inn is always honored when groups choose us for their ‘get away’ weekends and Anita and Dave take extra measures to make sure these groups are pampered for the weekend. It is not too late to plan that ‘get away’ weekend for 2014. We still have several available dates and we would love to have you stay with us!

Biking the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail is always a highlight for our guests. But there is also much more to offer in the area such as canoeing the Kickapoo, visiting Amish bakeries, nurseries and furniture shops, antiquing and seeing some the most beautiful scenery that one can experience.

Summer weather is finally here and it should be safe to plant all those vegetables and flowers. This past week eight ladies from the Wisconsin/Minnesota made their annual trip to Amil’s Inn to greenhouse (hop) at 21 possible Amish greenhouses. It is so much fun to greenhouse (hop) when there are 5 greenhouses on one road! Each Amish greenhouse has their specialty with many plants, vegetables, herbs, seeds, perennials, planters, hanging baskets, trees and so much more.

Stay at Amil’s Inn and take a day trip to find all those vegetable plants and beautiful flowers that your home needs. It is so much fun. Remember to pack light so you have room for all the plants that you will be taking back to your home.

We have the 2014 Amish Greenhouse map ready for you to plan your day’s travel. It is still not too late to plan your 2014 visit to an Amish greenhouse since they will have plants until they are all sold out. Selection may be limited but you will still get quality bedding plants at a good price. Remember they are always closed on Sunday.

The Kickapoo Valley is blessed with many great eating establishments. One of our favorite’s for pizza and ice cream is the Blue Goose Ice Cream and Pizza Parlor. Located about 12 miles from Amil’s Inn, it takes approximately 20 minutes driving through some of the most beautiful countryside of the upper Kickapoo Valley and Northern Driftless Wisconsin Area.

Once you arrive you will be greeted by Gail and Bill Thomas who remodeled the barn on their property into “The Blue Goose”. You will also be greeted by many farm animals that live on the property as well.

You may choose from a variety of pizzas such as Hog Heaven, The Giant German, The Super Blue Goose and a dozen or so more varieties. If you still have room, they serve specialty sundaes, ice cream cones, malts and shakes. They feature Cedar Crest ice cream fresh from the processing plant in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

After dinner you may enjoy Ma’s & Pa’s Toy Shed where a variety of childhood toys live. A vast amount of dolls, trains, dollhouses and trucks are also on display along with Elvis and Santa items. There is a small admission of: Adults–$3.00; Students–$1.50; Children under 6—Free (with a parent). New this year is the Haymow Flea Market located in the old loft of the remodeled barn.

Hours of operation are: Thursday- Saturday, 12:00-8:00 P.M.; Sunday, 12:00-6:00 P.M. The Blue Goose is located at S2106 24 Valley Road (North of County Road P), La Farge WI 54639. It is highly recommended to call ahead for a reservation especially if a party of 6 or more (608) 625-4335. For more information visit their website at www.bluegoosepizza.com.

After spending the day riding the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail, canoeing the Kickapoo River or Amish shopping, the Blue Goose Ice Cream & Pizza Parlor will fill any appetite that was created

]]>http://amilsinn.com/2014/04/29/the-blue-goose-located-in-the-northern-driftless-wisconsin-area/feed/0Amish Greenhouses Have Flowers Ready for Purchasehttp://amilsinn.com/2014/03/30/amish-greenhouses-have-flowers-ready-for-purchase/
http://amilsinn.com/2014/03/30/amish-greenhouses-have-flowers-ready-for-purchase/#commentsSun, 30 Mar 2014 21:26:47 +0000http://amilsinn.com/?p=603It’s time to start planning the design of your flower gardens this year and getting the list together of the flowers you need to purchase for the planting of those gardens. After a long (what seemed forever) winter, the warmer temperatures are so welcome and help get those design juices flowing. As we walk the grounds of Amil’s Inn we are putting together our list of flowers to purchase this year. Also we are planning the possible addition of another flower garden.

We are blessed to have several groups of guests that have a “girl’s weekend” to be pampered by Innkeeper Anita and to visit and shop at several Amish greenhouses to purchase the flowers that they need for their summer flower gardens.

A selection of flowers soon to be ready at M & M Greenhouse.

One of the Amish greenhouses is M & M Greenhouse located just a few short miles from Amil’s Inn. The majority of the flower plantings at Amil’s Inn are purchased from M & M Greenhouse. Their greenhouse is filled to capacity of hanging plants, annuals, perennials as well as vegetable garden plants as well. Right now the plants are only seedlings but by May 1 and maybe a bit sooner the greenhouse will be lush with the plants just ready for your purchase and planting.

Enjoy the warmer days of spring and we hope to see you at Amil’s Inn to be pampered and to do some flower shopping.

]]>http://amilsinn.com/2014/03/30/amish-greenhouses-have-flowers-ready-for-purchase/feed/0Winter Activities at Amil’s Innhttp://amilsinn.com/2014/01/31/winter-activities-at-amils-inn/
http://amilsinn.com/2014/01/31/winter-activities-at-amils-inn/#commentsFri, 31 Jan 2014 01:43:45 +0000http://amilsinn.com/?p=590As many of you already know, we have been having an ‘old fashion’ winter in Western Wisconsin. There has been an abundance of snow as well as cold.

For outdoor activities, the snow and cold makes for great snowmobiling, ice skating, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. The Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail is open to snowmobilers and is very well groomed. In fact Wisconsin has 110 trails open to snowmobilers with 25,000 miles of well groomed trails. Check out www.travelwisconsin.com or www.wistravel.com for more information.

Innkeeper Anita’s high school classmates gather to learn basket weaving.

For those who would rather be inside, Amil’s Inn offers a great place for those that do scrapbooking, basket weaving, make a denim blanket, organize recipes or any other project that would need a warm and cozy place.

Hope to see you soon!

]]>http://amilsinn.com/2014/01/31/winter-activities-at-amils-inn/feed/0Celebrate the New Year with a Favorite Amil’s Inn Recipehttp://amilsinn.com/2014/01/01/celebrate-the-new-year-with-a-favorite-amils-inn-recipe/
http://amilsinn.com/2014/01/01/celebrate-the-new-year-with-a-favorite-amils-inn-recipe/#commentsWed, 01 Jan 2014 01:41:28 +0000http://amilsinn.com/?p=583

A fresh batch of Oven Caramel Corn is ready for devouring.

Amil’s Inn has many favorite recipes to share with our guests throughout the year. One of our favorites for the Christmas season is Oven Caramel Corn. In fact the “cookie” jar becomes a “caramel corn” jar. This recipe has been a family favorite for years.

Oven Caramel Corn

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter

½ cup white Karo syrup

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

7 ½ quarts popped corn

1 cup dry roasted peanuts, optional

Cook brown sugar, butter, syrup, and salt for 5 minutes (If you want a more chewy caramel corn, cook less than 5 minutes). Remove from stove, add baking soda, and add to popped corn. Put in large roaster or dutch oven and bake at 200 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Put in a plastic container and cover.

As I look out my window and observe the lawn turning white, I can’t help let my mind wonder back several weeks to the 6th Annual Rails to Trails Marathon.

The 6th Annual Rails to Trails Marathon took place on Sunday, November 3, 2013. The day was a beautiful fall day, perfect for the miles that the runners would put on that day. The Rails to Trails Marathon is not only a Boston Qualifier marathon but also a half marathon, 5K and 1 mile fun run. The course takes runners and walkers on tour of the Elroy-Sparta State Bike Trail, a former railroad that’s been converted into a 32 mile recreational trail that winds through the small towns and countryside areas of southwestern Wisconsin between the towns of Elroy and Sparta.

The 6th Annual Rails to Trails Marathon had 227 marathon finishers of which 143 were male and 84 were female, 319 half marathon finishers of which 103 were male and 216 were female and 106 5K finishers of which 48 were male and 58 were female. (Results taken from www.itsracetime.com).

Amil’s Inn Bed and Breakfast was honored to have as guests 2 of the marathon finishers—Roy who qualified for the Boston Marathon and Charlene as well as 3 half marathon finishers—Randi, Chrissy and Rebecca. Also your Outkeeper/Innkeeper Dave and our son Paul completed the half marathon. It was such a joy to have Roy, Charlene, Randi, Chrissy, and Rebecca return to Amil’s Inn after the race to shower and have some ‘serious’ runners talk.

For those running enthusiasts that enjoy running on a converted railroad bed, another marathon and half marathon to consider is the Elroy Apple Dumpling Races held the 1st Saturday after Labor Day each year in the city of Elroy, Wisconsin. The marathon is a Boston Qualifier as well. (www.appledumplingdayraces.com)